Nawaz believes democracy is nothing beyond his person: Zardari

LAHORE: PPP’s Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said Nawaz Sharif believes that democracy is nothing beyond his person and reminded him that a grand national dialogue will only take place in parliament.

He advised the former prime minister to accept the Supreme Court’s verdict.  Talking to the media informally Friday, Zardari questioned why Nawaz was not accepting the verdict announced by the apex court in the Panama case.  He lashed out at Nawaz saying his thinking about democracy is dangerous. “We faced imprisonment but Nawaz ran away after making compromises,” he added.  “Why doesn’t Nawaz accept the court’s verdict? We had also accepted the court’s decision and removed the prime minister and brought another one,” he added. 

The former president said he has always stood by the political and democratic forces and made efforts to unite them. “Nawaz thinks if he is not around, then the democratic process also ceases to exist,” Zardari said, adding that such thinking was dangerous. 

He recalled that he had wanted to visit the former premier to offer condolence on the demise of his brother but Nawaz had refused to meet him to please the non-democratic forces. Praising PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan, the former president said Aitzaz is my voice. Whatever he speaks he speaks my words. About Raza Rabbani, Zardari said he is an independent scholar and Senate chairman.